Signature Question Type

The Signature question type allows your survey respondents to add their signature using their mouse or touch screen. The Signature question includes both a field for respondents to sign, as well as, a textbox to type their full name.

When To Use It

Use the Signature question for job applications and legal forms. For example, if you're signing a lease on a house, but can't get out of work to do so, why not just sign it online? Because it works great on mobile devices, the signature question is an ideal solution for in-person surveys and market research using an iPad or other tablets.

Customizing the Text of your Signature Question

You can customize the instructions below the signature field as well as the label for the text field in the Text & Translations tool. Go to Tools > Text & Translations. For single-language surveys simply click on your default language and go to the Messages tab. Under the Messages header, click edit to make changes to the signature question text.

Survey Taking

On a desktop and most laptops, the Signature question type looks like so.

When optimized for mobile devices the Signature question type looks very similar.

By default, survey questions show one at a time on mobile devices to prevent the need for scrolling on smaller screens. You can turn off this one-at-a-time interaction if you wish.

Reporting

Both the signature and the typed name will be included in each Individual Responses tab. When editing responses, only the typed name will be editable.

FAQ and Troubleshooting

Do the signatures collected with the Signature question have legal validity?

The Signature question was not built to eSign standards. If you are looking to use the question this way we would love to hear from you! As we hear that more users that are looking for the Signature question to meet these standards we’ll definitely consider prioritizing this request!

What browsers are supported?

Firefox, Chrome, Safari and Internet Explorer 9+

How does it work?

It works using HTML5 to capture mouse movements, so anyone can use it.

How do I customize the look and feel of the Signature question?

In order to customize the look and feel of your Signature question, you will need to use CSS.

The below CSS can be placed in your survey's theme to hide the clear button. To do so, go to the Style tab and scroll to the bottom of the survey preview and click the link to access the HTML/CSS Editor. Paste the below code on the Custom CSS tab.

sg-signature .sg-signature-clear { display:none; }

You can also customize the look and feel of the signature pad. For example, the below CSS, placed in your survey's theme will hide the border on the signature pad. To do so, go to the Style tab and scroll to the bottom of the survey preview and click the link to access the HTML/CSS Editor. Paste the below code on the Custom CSS tab.

.sg-signature .sg-signature-pad { border: none;}

I'm using the signature question in a kiosk mode survey and it is not working? What gives?

The signature question will not work on the first page of kiosk mode surveys. You can move the signature question to the second page or later in your survey and it will work just fine!

Is the signature question accessible for screen readers?

The signature question is accessible for screen readers but it is important to note that the screen reader will bypass the signature field. Respondents using screen readers will be able to enter their name in the text field. Learn more about accessibility in our Best Practices for Accessibility Guide.

@Venus: This is available for translation by going to Tools > Text & Translations. Select the language for which you wish to provide a translation and go to the Messages tab. Here you'll find the "Signature of" text available for translation.

I wish we could do a bulk export of all the signatures (including the typed names) without the other questions in a survey/form.

Admin

— Bri Hillmer on 06/09/2016

@Kate: We do not currently have a way to make sure that more than a few pixels are recorded at this time. I think this would be a great idea though! I'll be sure to pass this along to our development team as a possible future improvement!

I'm finding that several survey takers only leave a dot or two in the signature field (appears to be an accident). Have you encountered this issue? Any way to ensure we capture more than a few pixels?

Admin

— Bri Hillmer on 02/29/2016

@Matt: The Signature question is not supported in the Salesforce push action. Here is some per question type documentation for Salesforce:
http://help.surveygizmo.com/help/article/link/salesforce-fields

I am having trouble getting data from Signature questions to push into SalesForce. is this possible?

Admin

— Bri Hillmer on 06/18/2015

@Indy: Thanks for taking a look at our documentation! There is not currently a way to have the signature appear in the email body itself but you can definitely include it in the send email pdf attachment. Here is a tutorial with more information: